Worthing, we have a problem
WILL they ever learn?
Month after month, the people in charge of Worthing's on-street parking regime receive complaints about how the scheme is administered through NCP Services.
And while many of them aren't justified, there are enough to infuriate those motorists who just want to park their cars without breaking any rules, and feel they can return to their vehicles without finding a ticket on their windscreen.
Many such complaints find their way on to the Herald's news and letters pages, and you would have thought that, by now, the parking managers would have picked up enough feedback to nip some of these problems in the bud.
But, no, and a case in point is not giving adequate information about parking bay suspensions.
I had an irate lady phone me on Monday afternoon about a ticket she had "picked up" in Union Place, outside the McCarthy & Stone development.
She said that apart from two cones on the road each side of the site entrance, there was nothing to indicate that her bay was suspended.
It wasn't until she returned to find she had been ticketed, that she walked further up the road to find a rather smallish notice saying that her particular bay was out of use.
Now, being as I'm rather paranoid about the risks of being booked, I immediately went to size up the situation for myself.
Yes, I saw a battered cone by her parking bay, only it was on the pavement!
I did eventually spot the prohibitive notice, but it was 11 yards away on the other side of the site entrance.
I would not have a chance of seeing the notice if I had parked my car in this particular lady's bay, especially as it was necessary to walk AWAY from it to access the pay-park machine.
This isn't good enough.
On Tuesday morning, I visited the spot again and saw that the site entrance was adequately coned-off both sides.
As the temporary restriction had been in force since March 30, it's possible that, at other times, drivers would have known both bays were suspended.
But they did not appear to be suspended on Monday when both the lady and me were there — and drivers should have been warned.
If the parking powers-that-be expect motorists to be aware of where and when they should not park, then they should fulfil their side of the contract with a 24-hour info service to save both sides a lot of hassle.
The old parking meter system had its drawbacks. But at least the meters could be hooded with a "bay suspended" cover, so that drivers would know immediately whether they could park legally in that particular space.
So much for progress...
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Weather for Worthing
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South
